Category: General

Dominant thoughts re Edsa One: We wasted it

Published by Ellen on February 25, 2016

The Edsa jump. Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce-Enrile jubillant as they announced defections of Marcos people to the rebels' side. — The Edsa jump. Fidel Ramos and Juan Ponce-Enrile jubillant as they announced defections of Marcos people to the rebels’ side.

Edsa30 celebration has revived memories of that important event in our history as a freedom-loving people.

From the recollections, one can glean a deep sense of disappointment, of our failure not to have used our regained freedom into building genuine democracy- wherein people would have the opportunities to pursue their dreams of a better life.

Mark Lopez shared his insights of EDSA One in Facebook: “I was 17 when EDSA 1 happened and my family and I were there, together with the millions who want change. It was surreal and it was indeed a triumphant moment when news of Marcos family fleeing was confirmed. In the immediate aftermath, all I could think of was that our country will now be on the cusp of true progress and development. Of course the foremost celebration was for the reinstatement of democracy and freedom to be a Filipino.

“”Thirty years after, I now cringe at what went by after EDSA1. I really don’t know what it is in our psyche that we continue to celebrate democracy but we also embraced mediocrity, especially in governance.

“We may be free, but we are still slaves to indifference, to corruption, and to greed. Do we really deserve this?”

EDSA30

Published by Ellen on February 24, 2016

It has been 30 years since that one shining moment in Philippine history when the people came together to put an end to tyranny.

Rebel soldier reading Malaya. Photo by Joe Galvez.

As Che Francisco, a colleague in Ang Pahayagang Malaya, remarked , “Parang kelan lang.”

On this day, Feb. 24, we, in Malaya were covering the fast-changing events non-stop. I was sleeping in the office. Malaya editors were working in a safe house as rumors were swirling about raids of newspapers unfriendly to Marcos.

In the evening after the editorial work, we would go to Camp Crame where Fidel V. Ramos, then the chief of the Philippine Constabulary-Integrated National Police and then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce-Enrile, were holding fort together with the rebel soldiers and police officers after they declared on Feb. 22 that they were breaking away from then President Ferdinand Marcos who had been in power for 20 years.

Doble ‘gudtime’

Published by Ellen on January 22, 2016

Neri Colmenares, main author of bill increasing pension of SSS retirees by P2,000 a month, says SSS has P325 billion uncollected revenues. From Philippine Star.

At the Mercury Drugstore the other day, I overheard two senior citizens discussing about the President’s veto of the P2, 000 peso a month increase for members of the Social Security System.

One was telling the other about the commentaries of DZMM’s Ted Failon which she fully agreed. “Bakit nila binigyan ang sarili nila ng bonus na P1 milyon tig-isa kapag Pasko kung wala pa lang pera para sa mga miembro?”

The lady said bonuses are given as reward for good performance but the she cited the report of the Commission on Audit that the SSS owns many assets that are idle that have resulted in losses amounting to over a hundred million pesos yearly.

Grounding lessons

Published by Ellen on January 5, 2016

A book on the rise of Kinaray-a language by Alex de los Santos.

Second day of the year 2016, I was pulled to the ground – a much needed lesson, courtesy of a bus conductor.

Last Saturday, I took a Ceres bus to Iloilo from our province in Antique to take my flight back to Manila.

As I was gathering my baggage upon arriving at the bus terminal in Iloilo, I couldn’t find the box containing foodstuff (adobong manok, suman, saba na saging, rootcrops) that neighbors went out of their way to obtain and prepare for Manila relatives.

There were no more passengers left and I looked all over the bus but I couldn’t find the box. I was sure it was loaded in the bus together with my two bags. So I asked the conductor, “Sa diin tana ang akon box? May higot nga yellow nga straw.” (Where’s my box? The one tied with yellow-colored straw.) That’s in the Kinaray-a language of Antique.

The conductor helped me look all over the bus. We couldn’t find it. He tried looking at the rear and side compartments. No box.

He took one last look inside the bus and he found it under the last seat. I thanked him profusely.

He accepted it with relief saying they felt responsible for every piece of baggage loaded in the bus. Then he remarked. “’Box’ man ikaw nga’box’. Karton gali ang imo ginasagap. (You keep on saying ‘box’ when you are looking for a ‘karton.’)”

Sorry for the general statement about education in the provinces

Published by Ellen on December 11, 2015

I made a terrible mistake in my column last Monday.

In my article on Ronald Gadayan, the NAIA janitor who returned to the owner a pouch he found while he was cleaning the departure area in September 2012 containing some P2.4 million cash and valuables, I wrote about his concern about his children’s education.

Being a contractual employee at NAIA, he only earns P481 a day. He has three children, ages 12, 10 and 6. His wife is looking for a job to augment their income.

His children go to a public school in Bulacan. He said he is worried about his children’s future education and asked Education Secretary Armin Luistro for assistance. He said the education secretary told him that his children cannot qualify for scholarship because they are not “matalino.”

Remember the honest NAIA janitor?

Published by Ellen on December 7, 2015

If you are intelligent and rich, there is no problem about getting the education you desire.

If you are poor but intelligent and have good grades, there are opportunities to higher education given by the government and private institutions.

But if you are poor and do not have good grades (there are many factors involved why many children do not do well in school), getting on to higher education would really be a problem.

If your educational record is not impressive, you would have a difficult time getting a good job. If you don’t have a good job, escaping from the cycle of poverty would be hard.

Pagcor’s 12 days of Pamaskong Handog

Published by Ellen on December 4, 2015

What better way to break the stressful stories in the political scene – the Comelec 2nd division disqualification of frontrunner Grace Poe as presidential candidate in the May 2016 elections and the cursing of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who has also filed his certificate of candidacy for president as substitute for a candidate that the Comelec was considering to declare a nuisance candidate – than stories that put a smile on the face of the poor, the orphans, the sick, and persons with disability?

PAGCOR President and COO Jorge Sarmiento (middle) and Assistant VP for Corporate Communications and Services Maricar Bautista (seated left) sign a Memorandum of Agreement with National Children's Hospital (NCH) Chief Dr. Epifania Simbul (seated right) for the P3-million funding that the state-run gaming firm granted to NCH for the operation of indigent children with congenital heart disease. — PAGCOR President and COO Jorge Sarmiento (middle) and Assistant VP for Corporate Communications and Services Maricar Bautista (seated left) sign a Memorandum of Agreement with National Children’s Hospital (NCH) Chief Dr. Epifania Simbul (seated right) for the P3-million funding that the state-run gaming firm granted to NCH for the operation of indigent children with congenital heart disease.

On the fourth day of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s 12 days of Pamaskong Handog, it was not one but two children diagnosed with congenital heart disease were given a better chance to overcome their health problems

Judy Ann Canlas 7, and Mark Kenneth Candes, 5, both patients at the National Children’s Hospital will be able to undergo the much needed heart operation, the expenses to be shouldered by PAGCOR.

To the parents of Judy Ann and Mar, Pagcor’s help is the miracle that they have been praying for.

Manicani: A tough little island

Published by Ellen on November 19, 2014

By Ellen T. Tordesillas, VERA Files

Manicani today hardly bears signs of the havoc wrought by supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) a year ago.

Color is back on this 11.7-square-kilometer island of 3,000 people in Guiuan, Eastern Samar, which was a harrowing picture of destruction only 12 months ago after Yolanda ferociously battered it for straight four hours.

Nemesio and Adela Abucejo in their newly-built house.

The roofless or flattened houses, destroyed concrete structures, uprooted trees and toppled posts are almost gone. In their stead are houses painted green, yellow, blue, red and pink, many with vegetable and flower gardens.

The houses were built by the homeowners themselves, courtesy of the cash for work program of the mining company Nickel Asia Corp. (NAC). Berthed on shore near many homes were new fishing boats, which the islanders requested from NAC officials when asked after Yolanda what they wanted aside from a decent shelter.

A 25- to 30-minute boat ride from Guiuan, Manicani during World War II was a United States Navy naval repair facility. It’s primarily a fishing community today.

Mauled cabbie won’t file case vs TV host

Published by Ellen on July 30, 2014

Daniel Marsh and taxi driver Edward Villanueva reconciling in Wanted sa Radyo. Photo from Lionheartv.net — Daniel Marsh and taxi driver Edward Villanueva reconciling in Wanted sa Radyo.Photo from Lionheartv.net

By ELLEN TORDESILLAS, VERA Files

The taxi driver mauled by a TV5 host has decided not to press charges after the latter apologized.

TJ Ballega Villanueva, son of cabbie Edward Villanueva, 49, of World Taxi, said his father and Irish-Filipino Daniel Marsh, one of the hosts of TV5’s documentary-style reality show “Juan Direction,” met on Monday at Raffy Tulfo’s “Wanted sa Radyo” program.

The young Villanueva said in a text message that they went to TV 5 on Monday after the network asked them to give a statement.

“Sa ‘Wanted sa Radyo,’ humarap po sa amin si Daniel. On air o ay hindi siya totally nag-sorry kay Papa, pero off- the- air po ay niyakap at naghingi ng ‘Sorry’ kay Papa. Humingi din po siya ng paumanhin sa akin bilang anak ni Papa sa ginawa niya (In ‘Wanted sa Radyo’ Daniel faced us. On air, he did not exactly say ‘sorry’ to my father, but off-the–air, he embraced my father and apologized. He also apologized to me for what he did).”

After guesting in ‘Wanted sa Radyo,’TJ posted in Facebook that the family, on the advice of friends and the church, decided not to file a case against Marsh and to leave everything to God.

A celibate Kris Aquino as president will eradicate poverty in PH

Published by Ellen on January 16, 2014

Kris shares with Boy Abunda her theory about her success.

I cannot imagine the Philippines without Kris Aquino. It would be boring.

I want Kris Aquino for President.

Everybody talks about the need for out-of-the box solutions to the problem of poverty that is the lot of almost a third of the country’s 99 million population. Kris Aquino has found the solution: don’t have sex and you will be blessed with money beyond your dreams.

In an interview last Tuesday with best friend Boy Abunda in her classy all-white house, Aquino couldn’t contain her joy for all the blessings coming her way: the box-office success of the movie of her son, Bimby, even if critics said it was inane (one critic said it was “contempt for the audience”); a hefty new contract with ABS-CBN after she floated the rumor that she was considering the job offer of businessman Manny V. Pangilinan to head TV5; plus many more.